Ruth Scott Blackson, Michael Ellyson, Michael Konrad, Jacque Liu, Cindy Stockton Moore, Joshua Weiss + Jacob Lunderby, Bruce Wilhelm
In Retrospect, August-September 2019
Opening Reception: Friday August 2, 6-10pm
Runs: Sunday, September 29, July 28
Press Contact: 2xgrizzly@gmail.com
This August, Grizzly Grizzly is proud to celebrate our 10th anniversary with a two-month show featuring the works of former Grizzly Grizzly members: Ruth Scott Blackson, Michael Ellyson, Michael Konrad, Jacque Liu, Cindy Stockton Moore, Joshua Weiss + Jacob Lunderby, and Bruce Wilhelm. Several of the artists will be presenting new and site-specific works. Cindy Stockton Moore will be creating a new wall drawing, using her ethereal ink-wash technique to explore the tenuous relationship between the figure and the natural environment. Michael Konrad will be erecting a structure with his signature handmade “DIYvek,” constructed from recycled plastic bags. Joshua Weiss presents a new collaboration with Jacob Lunderby, featuring wallpaper panels and objects which fuse the intimacy of painterly materials with bold, graphic imagery.
In Retrospect is the culmination of a year of programming, and a celebration of the artist members that have shaped the identity of Grizzly Grizzly over the past 10 years. Through a generous grant from the Velocity Fund, we hired writers to create critical and creative essays for each of the ten shows produced since September 2018. On Friday, September 6, 2019, we will launch a print publication which features these essays, along with photographic documentation of the shows, and an introductory essay by Roberta Fallon.
This project was supported in part by The Velocity Fund administered by Temple Contemporary with generous funding from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
Artist Bios
Ruth Scott Blackson was a member of Grizzly Grizzly from 2011–2014. Ruth is a British born artist who has resided in Philadelphia for the past eight years. She utilizes process and research-based practices to create drawings, sculptures and projects that highlight the subtleties around us. In 2018 she created an interactive work for West Park Arts fest, and in 2015 she created an installation for the 2015 Eastern State Penitentiary exhibition series.
Michael Ellyson is a cofounding member of Grizzly Grizzly. He received his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and his MA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has shown his work nationally, and attended a residency at Bemis Center for Contemporary Art. Michael was a member of Grizzly from 2009–2013.
Michael Konrad was a member of Grizzly from 2013–2019. Mike is an artist and educator currently working as Lead Teaching Artist with Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program. He regularly exhibits work throughout the Philadelphia region and beyond, frequently outside of traditional exhibition spaces, including as Recycling-Artist-in-Residence at Revolution Recovery, with Neighborhood Bike Works while in residence at the 40th Street AIR Program, and on the Schuykill Banks with Art in the Open Philadelphia.
Jacque Liu is a Philadelphia-based artist and arts administrator. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, he received an M.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a B.F.A. from Alfred University, and a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Universität der Künste Berlin. His work is widely exhibited and he is the recipient of numerous awards and grants. His projects have been reviewed in The New York Times, Newsweek, National Public Radio, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Artblog, and elsewhere. Jacque Liu was a member of Grizzly from 2010–2014.
Cindy Stockton Moore is a Philadelphia based artist, currently working on an installation for Glen Foerd on the Delaware to open in October 2019. Other recent solo projects include ‘Narrowed Plot’ at Arlington Arts Center, ’Consciousness and Revolt’ at Moore College of Art & Design, and ‘Other Absences’ currently on view at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Cindy's writing on art has appeared in ArtNews, NYArts Magazine, SciArt Magazine, The New York Sun, and Title Magazine in addition to university and web publications; she was a member of Grizzly Grizzly from 2010–2017.
Joshua Weiss was a member of Grizzly Grizzly from 2011–2017. He received his MFA in 2001 from Yale University and his BFA in 1997 from The Savannah College of Art and Design. He moved to the Philadelphia area in 2007. He is a working artist and teacher whose paintings have been shown regionally and nationally. Josh is a full-time Associate Teaching Professor at Drexel University. For “In Retrospect” Josh Weiss collaborated with artist Jacob Lunderby.
Jacob Lunderby is based in Philadelphia; he earned an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Minnesota and a BFA in Painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Lunderby has exhibited work internationally including Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Miami, Hawaii, Greece, South Korea and Japan. Jacob is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Drawing at Drexel University.
Born and currently working in Richmond VA, Bruce Wilhelm earned his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and his MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Formerly based out of Philadelphia, Wilhelm is a cofounder of Grizzly Grizzly and was a member from 2009–2011. Wilhelm has exhibited his paintings in galleries and art fairs from coast to coast and was featured in Miami’s “Untitled” Art Fair in December 2017. He is a recipient of the VMFA Professional Fellowship for painting in both 2004 and 2006, and has been represented by ADA Gallery in Richmond, VA since 2005.
